Safety device for submarines.



J. T. DAHLf' SAFETY DEVICE FOR SUBMARINES.

APPLICATION FILED AP R. 20,1915.

'i atntea m. 4,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

J. T. DAHL. SAFETY uEvipE FORKSUBIVIARINE S. APPLICATIUN FILED APR- 20,I915.

'Pafented mm. 4:, 191?.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

J. T. DAHL. SAFET? DEVICE FOR SUBMARINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 20,1915- M Sept. 4, 1917.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3 Warren snares Parana SAFETY DEVICE FOR SUBMARINES.

lessees.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented slept.

Application filed April 20, 1915. Serial No. 22,619.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, James T. DAHL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Seattle, in the county of King, State of Washington, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices forSubmarines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. Thisinvention relates to safety devices for submarines.

The object of the invention resides in the provision of a safety devicefor submarines through the instrumentality of which a fresh supply ofair may be secured by the crew in the event of an accident and theresultant failure of the submarine to rise to the surface of the water,said device also enabling the crew to obtain the necessary air forexpelling the water from the ballast tanks to cause the submarine torise, the device thus having the dual purpose of saving the lives of thecrew and recovering the submarine.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a deviceof the character named, which will be simple in construction,comparatively inexpensive to manufacture, reliable and eificient in use,and easily operated.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in thedetails of construction and in the arrangement and combination of partsto be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.

In describing the invention in detail reference will be had to theaccompanying drawings wherein like characters of refer-' ence denotecorresponding parts in the several views, and in which Figure 1 is aview showing the device associated with a submerged submarine and theparts thereof in the position they would occupy in supplying air fromabove the surface of the water to the submarine;

Fig. 2, a diagrammatic view of the device;

Fig. 3 a vertical section of the buoy pocket with the buoy shown thereinin elevation;

Fig. 4, a section on the line l4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5, a section on the line 5- 5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6, a vertical section through the upper portion of the air buoywith the main valve in closed position;

Fig. 7, a view at right angles to Fig. 6 with the main valve in openposition;

Fig. 8, a sectional view showing the con nection between the buoy andthe foul air and fresh air pipes;

Fig. 9, a section on the line 9-9 of Fig.

Fig. 10, a section on the line lid-10 of Fig. 6, and

Fig. 11, a section on the line 11-l1 of Fig. 3 showing the lockingmechanism of the door of the buoy pocket.

Referring to the drawings A indicates generally a submarine and B thesafety device associated therewith and carried therein as clearly shownin Fig. 1.

This safety device comprises a buoy pocket 15 suitably mounted withinthe submarine and including a hinged top 16 forming part of the hull ofthe submarine and adapted to be locked and released through the mediumof a toggle locking device 17, said locking device being operatedthrough the medium of push, rods 18 slidably mounted in the top w 16 aSclearly shown in Fig. 11. ltotatably mounted within the pocket 15 is ashaft 19 including hollow terminal sections 20 and 21 and a solidintermediate section 9.2. Surrounding the shaft 19 within the pocket 15in spaced relation to said shaft and held fixed with-respect to thelatter by means of braces 23 is a drum 24 provided with end flanges 25.Secured to the inner end of the hollow section 20 of the shaft 19 is oneend of a fresh air pipe 25', while a foul air pipe 26 has one endthereof in communication with the inner end of the hollow section 21.The fresh air pipe 25 and the foul air pipe 26 merge into a single pipe27 provided with a longitudinal partition 28 forming the fresh airpassage 29 and the foul air passage 30. This pipe 27 is flexible and isadapted to be wound upon and unwound from the drum 24 in a manner thatwill hereinafter appear. Mounted upon the wall of the pocket 15 andsurrounding the outer end of the hollow section 20 is a cap 31'whichcommunicates with the interior of said sections throu h an openin 32formed in the shaft 19. so mounte upon the wall of the pocket 15 is acap 83 the interior of which communicates directly with the interior ofthe section 21. Fixed on the shaft 19 adjacent the cap 31 is agear 34which meshes with a gear 09 rotatably mounted on a shaft 36 carried by abracket 37 said gear 35 havpipe 27 thereo The air buoy of thedevicecomprises a hollow conical member 39 the minor end of whichissecured to the end of the pipe 27 by means of a suitable coupling 40*onesection of which includes a tubular member 41 having spaced longitudinalpartitions 42 forming a foul air passage 43 and a freshalr passage 44and between which partitions the partition 28 is confined. The othersectlon of the coupling 40 also includes spaced partitions 45 forming afoul air passage 46 and a fresh air passage w ch in the as sembledcoupling conn-nunicate respectively with the passages 43 and 44. Thepipe 27 IS secured around the member 41 and clamped thereon through themedium of a suitable clamping band 48. Secured within the passages 46and 47 are the ends of a foulair pipe 49 and a fresh air pipe 50. Thesepipes 49 and 50 extend through the top of the buoy 39 and through atubular member 51 secured upon thetop of the buoy 39. Threaded in theupper end of the tubular member 51 is a cap 52 through which the upperends of the pipes 49 and 50 are engaged, said cap serving to hold theupper ends of said pipes as will be obvious. The

-outer side of the cap 52 is dished to form a seat for a valve 53.Depending from this valve 53 are arms 54 which are slidably engagedthrough the cap 52. Pivot-ed. on suitable brackets 55 carried by thepipe 50 are levers 56 corresponding ends of which arepivotally'connected to the lower ends of the arms 54. The othercorresponding ends of the levers 56 are slotted longitudinally and haveengaged through said slots a stud 57 projecting from a stem 58 whichlatter carries spaced pistons 59 and 60, said pistons working in thepipe 50 as will be obvious. The stud projects through a suitable opening61 in the pipe 50 and this opening is enlarged as at 62'lTcr a purposethat will presently appear. By this construction it will be apparentthat when the pistons 59 and are forced upwardly the valve 53 will bepressed. firmly to its seat while downward movement of the pistons 59and 60 will raise the 'valyo 53 from its seat. Mounted on the pipe 50beneath the piston 60 is an inwardly opening check valve 63 through theinstrumontality of which communication between the interior of the pipe50 and the interior of the member 51 is afforded under-certain conditions. Mounted on the member 51 and covering the upper end thereof isa bell 64 whichis held in proper relation to the member 51 by aperforated plate 65 secured to both the member 51 and the bell 64.Mounted on the outer side of the valve 53 is a bracket 66 on which ispivoted a lever 67. One end of this lever is adapted to engage a contact68 carried by the valve 53 while the other end thereof has pivotallyconnected thereto one end of a rod 69 slidably engaged in the plate 65and carrying on its lower end a float 7 O disposed normally at its lowerend outward of the lower end of the bell 64, in which normal status thelever 67 is out of engagement with the contact 68. The lever 67 andcontact 68 have connected thereto the conducting wires 71 of a signalcircuit which when closed is adapted to sound a suitable signal withinthe submarine. These wires 71 are mounted between the partitions 45,partitions 43, in the partition 28 and are then directed through thepipe 25, through the section 20 of the shaft 19 and are connectedrespectively to ring terminals? 2 fixed on the shaft 19 and engagingcontacts 73 supported by the cap 31. The circuit is completed by Wiresleading from the contacts 73. The circuit is also utilized asa telephonecircuit by extending same through the top of the bell 64 by means ofwires 74.

The device further comprises a tank '75 the interior of which isconnected with the interior of the pocket 15 at a point near the top ofthe latter by means of a'pipe 76 provided with a valve 77. The tank 7 5is also connected with the interior of the cap 33 by a pipe 78 providedwith a valve 79. A pipe 80 leading from one end of the tank is connectedto a pump 81 and the pump is also connected to the interior of the cap31 by means of a pipe 82. The pipe is provided with a valve 83, while abranch pipe 84 connects the pipes 80 and 82 and is provided with a valve85 and has mounted thereon a pressure gage 86. Leading from the pipe 80is a branch pipe 87 including a valve 88. A pipe 89 communicating withthe pocket 15 at t 1e bottom thereof is adapted to connect at itsopposite end (not shown) with the sea, while the branch pipe 87communicates with the interior of the submarine.

In the operation of the device, assuming that the submarine islsubmergedand it is desired to obtain fresh air from the surface of the sea, thevalve 77 is opened to permit water to enter the pocket 15 by way-of pipe89 andfillthe pocket. As the pocket fills with water the latter willcome into engagement with the float 70 and cause same to rise with theresult that" the lever 67 is rocked into engagement with the contact 68and the signal in the submarine sounded.

The valve 77-is then closed to prevent water flowing from the pocket 15into the tank 7 5 125 by way of the pipe 76. When the buoy 39 is to bereleased the valve 85 is opened and the valve 83 slightly opened toraise the pressure in the pipe 82 and pipe 84 to 20 or 30 pounds. T iscompressed air will then 130 acv a up I? F N a. ins mess a sub U319 11S.16 pa and. Ear

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